I’ve been thinking lately about the word “should”. It’s crossed my mind so much, even more so during the pandemic.
I should work out more
I should eat healthier
I should take more walks
I shouldn’t sleep so late
Shoulda coulda woulda!
Anytime I’ve said those statements out loud or in my head, I immediately felt a sense of obligation and that I’m not doing enough right now. It immediately becomes a chore and sometimes a feeling of shame that I’m doing things the wrong way.
I’m working on changing how I phrase those sentences in hopes that I do the things I want to do and with that, cut myself some slack.
I want to lessen my stress levels, so I’ll go for 1 walk each day this week and I’ll do some amount of spin 2x this week.
I’m going to make dinner at home at least 3x this week. I’ll use up the remaining veggies in the fridge.
Today, I’m going to turn off the screens at 10pm, and read a few pages from my book before I sleep.
Those seem like healthier, more action focused statements and I’m going to make them attainable for myself. “I should…” is just too vague for me and already puts me in a state of negative action where as “I want” or “I will” can be more specific, positive and achievable if you let it be.
What ‘should’ statements do you want to change for yourself?